U.S. patent number 10,538,175 [Application Number 15/832,688] was granted by the patent office on 2020-01-21 for apparatus for controlling charging of environment-friendly vehicle, system including the same, and method thereof.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company, KIA Motors Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Jee Wook Huh, Chun Hyuk Lee, Yong Hoon Lee, Dong Jun Shin, Dong Jin Sohn.
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United States Patent |
10,538,175 |
Lee , et al. |
January 21, 2020 |
Apparatus for controlling charging of environment-friendly vehicle,
system including the same, and method thereof
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for controlling
charging of an environment-friendly vehicle. The apparatus includes
a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit configured to determine
a state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage battery that is a main
power source, an auxiliary battery SOC determining unit configured
to determine an SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists power of
the high-voltage battery, and an auxiliary battery charging control
unit configured to, when receiving a request for an operation of an
engine for controlling heating, perform a control such that the
auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage battery.
Inventors: |
Lee; Chun Hyuk (Suwon-si,
KR), Sohn; Dong Jin (Pyeongtaek-si, KR),
Lee; Yong Hoon (Incheon, KR), Shin; Dong Jun
(Hwaseong-si, KR), Huh; Jee Wook (Gwangmyeong-si,
KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION |
Seoul
Seoul |
N/A
N/A |
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company (Seoul,
KR)
KIA Motors Corporation (Seoul, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
65517558 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/832,688 |
Filed: |
December 5, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190070972 A1 |
Mar 7, 2019 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 7, 2017 [KR] |
|
|
10-2017-0114629 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L
58/12 (20190201); B60W 20/15 (20160101); B60W
10/06 (20130101); B60K 6/48 (20130101); B60W
10/26 (20130101); B60W 10/08 (20130101); B60W
20/13 (20160101); B60W 20/00 (20130101); Y02T
10/6278 (20130101); Y02T 10/6221 (20130101); Y02T
10/6286 (20130101); B60W 2510/244 (20130101); B60L
2240/54 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60L
58/12 (20190101); B60W 10/08 (20060101); B60W
10/26 (20060101); B60W 20/00 (20160101) |
Field of
Search: |
;320/104 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3967043 |
|
Aug 2007 |
|
JP |
|
5029781 |
|
Sep 2012 |
|
JP |
|
10-1500080 |
|
Mar 2015 |
|
KR |
|
Primary Examiner: Diao; M Baye
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle, the
apparatus comprising: a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit
configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage
battery that is a main power source; an auxiliary battery SOC
determining unit configured to determine an SOC of an auxiliary
battery that assists power of the high-voltage battery; and an
auxiliary battery charging control unit configured to, when
receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling
heating from a full automatic temperature control (FATC), perform a
control such that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the
high-voltage battery, wherein the auxiliary battery charging
control unit performs a control such that, if the SOC of the
auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined reference value, the
auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage battery.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high-voltage battery SOC
determining unit determines the SOC of the high-voltage battery
through interaction with a battery management unit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary battery SOC
determining unit determines the SOC of the auxiliary battery
through interaction with an auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit
that senses the SOC of the auxiliary battery.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary battery charging
control unit performs a control to charge the auxiliary battery by
using the high-voltage battery in one or more of a case in which
the SOC of the auxiliary battery is a predetermined reference value
or more, a case in which the gear of the vehicle is located in the
P-stage, the R-stage, or the N-stage, a case of high-speed driving,
a case of high hill-climbing driving, and a case in which a
high-voltage part is operated.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary battery charging
control unit performs a control such that, if the SOC of the
high-voltage battery is not less than a predetermined reference
value when a request for an operation of the engine for controlling
heating is received from the full automatic temperature control
(FATC), the auxiliary battery is charged by using the SOC of the
high-voltage battery.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a driving mode
determining unit configured to determine a driving mode according
to the SOC of the high-voltage battery.
7. A system for controlling charging of a vehicle, the system
comprising: a high-voltage battery that is a main power source of
the vehicle; an auxiliary battery that is an auxiliary power source
of the vehicle; an auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit configured
to detect a state of charge (SOC) of the auxiliary battery; and a
vehicle charging control unit configured to, when receiving a
request for an operation of an engine for controlling heating from
a full automatic temperature control (FATC), perform a control such
that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage
battery, wherein the vehicle charging control unit performs a
control such that, if the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than
a predetermined reference value, the auxiliary battery is charged
by using the high-voltage battery.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary battery SOC
detecting unit includes an intelligent battery sensor (IBS).
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle charging control unit
performs control to charge the auxiliary battery by using the
high-voltage battery if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is not
less than a predetermined reference value when a request for an
operation of the engine for controlling heating is received from
the full automatic temperature control (FATC).
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle charging control
unit is a hybrid control unit (HCU).
11. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle charging control
unit includes: a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit
configured to determine an SOC of a high-voltage battery that is a
main power source; an auxiliary battery SOC determining unit
configured to determine an SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists
power of the high-voltage battery; and an auxiliary battery
charging control unit configured to, when receiving a request for
an operation of an engine for controlling heating from the full
automatic temperature control (FATC), perform a control such that
the auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage
battery.
12. A method for controlling charging of a vehicle, the method
comprising: determining, by a vehicle charging control unit, a
state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage battery that is a main
power source; determining, by the vehicle charging control unit, an
SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists power of the high-voltage
battery; when receiving a request for an operation of an engine for
controlling heating from a full automatic temperature control
(FATC), performing, by the vehicle charging control unit, a control
such that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the
high-voltage battery; and if the SOC of the auxiliary battery is
less than a predetermined reference value, performing, by the
vehicle charging control unit, a control to charge the auxiliary
battery by using the high-voltage battery.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the SOC of
the high-voltage battery includes: determining the SOC of the
high-voltage battery through interaction with a battery management
unit.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the SOC of
the auxiliary battery includes: determining the SOC of the
auxiliary battery through interaction with the auxiliary battery
SOC detecting unit that senses the SOC of the auxiliary
battery.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: performing, by the
vehicle charging control unit, a control to charge the auxiliary
battery by using the high-voltage battery in one or more of a case
in which the SOC of the auxiliary battery is a predetermined
reference value or more, a case in which the gear of the vehicle is
located in the P-stage, the R-stage, or the N-stage, a case of
high-speed driving, a case of high hill-climbing driving, and a
case in which a high-voltage part is operated.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of the control
includes: performing a control such that, if the SOC of the
high-voltage battery is not less than a predetermined reference
value when a request for an operation of the engine for controlling
heating is received from the full automatic temperature control
(FATC), the auxiliary battery is charged by using the SOC of the
high-voltage battery.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising: if the SOC of the
high-voltage battery is less than a predetermined reference value
and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is not less than the
predetermined reference value when a request for an operation of
the engine for controlling heating is received from the full
automatic temperature control (FATC), performing, by the vehicle
charging control unit, discharge control of the auxiliary.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority to
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0114629, filed on Sep. 7,
2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for controlling
charging of an environment-friendly vehicle, a system including the
same, and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a technology
of maintaining an SOC level of a high-voltage battery at a suitable
level in a state in which a charging toque is maintained during
driving of an engine.
BACKGROUND
Due to the high prices of oils and regulation of exhaust gases
throughout the world, environment-friendly policies and improvement
of fuel efficiency have become core goals in the development of
vehicles. Accordingly, the vehicle manufacturers are making a lot
of efforts to develop technologies for reducing use of fuels and
generation of exhaust gases for the environment-friendly policies
and high fuel efficiency.
Under the background, many interests and efforts are being made in
the development of technologies such as hybrid electric vehicles
(HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which combine
the power of an engine and a motor for high fuel efficiency.
The disclosure of this section is to provide background of the
invention. Applicant notes that this section may contain
information available before this application. However, by
providing this section, Applicant does not admit that any
information contained in this section constitutes prior art.
SUMMARY
Environment-friendly vehicles secure a heat source that is
necessary for heating by driving an engine to satisfy heating
performance when heating is required in the winter season (in the
case of a vehicle without any electric heater). Then, when the
engine is driven for heating, a torque is increased to improve the
efficiency of the engine and increase the state of charge (SOC) of
the high-voltage battery.
However, if the SOC of the high-voltage battery becomes excessive
during driving of the engine as illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle
is driven only by an electric motor to exhaust the SOC (increase
fuel efficiency) according to a travel strategy after the heating
control is released. In this case, the temperature of the cooling
water of the engine decreases again, and the engine has to be
driven and released frequently as the engine has to be driven again
to secure a heating source.
The present disclosure is conceived to solve the above-described
problems of the related art, and the present disclosure provides an
apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle, which may prevent
overcharging of a high-voltage battery by charging an auxiliary
battery by using the high-voltage battery if an SOC of the
high-voltage battery increases by a specific level or more during
control of an engine for heating, and may improve fuel efficiency
by using the charged auxiliary battery as energy of a load of an
electric part, a system including the same, and a method
thereof.
The technical objects of the present disclosure are not limited to
the above-mentioned one, and the other unmentioned technical
objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following description.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is
provided an apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle, the
apparatus including a high-voltage battery SOC determining unit
configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of a high-voltage
battery that is a main power source, an auxiliary battery SOC
determining unit configured to determine an SOC of an auxiliary
battery that assists power of the high-voltage battery, and an
auxiliary battery charging control unit configured to, when
receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling
heating, perform a control such that the auxiliary battery is
charged by using the high-voltage battery.
The high-voltage battery SOC determining unit may determine the SOC
of the high-voltage battery through interaction with a battery
management unit.
The auxiliary battery SOC determining unit may determine the SOC of
the auxiliary battery through interaction with the auxiliary
battery SOC detecting unit that senses the SOC of the auxiliary
battery.
The auxiliary battery charging control unit may perform a control
such that, if the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a
predetermined reference value, the auxiliary battery is charged by
using the high-voltage battery.
The auxiliary battery charging control unit may perform a control
to charge the auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery
in one or more of a case in which the SOC of the auxiliary battery
is a predetermined reference value or more, a case in which the
gear of the vehicle is located in the P-stage, the R-stage, or the
N-stage, a case of high-speed driving, a case of high hill-climbing
driving, and a case in which a high-voltage part is operated.
The auxiliary battery charging control unit may perform a control
such that, if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is not less than
a predetermined reference value when a request for an operation of
the engine for controlling heating is received, the auxiliary
battery is charged by using the SOC of the high-voltage
battery.
The apparatus may further include a driving mode determining unit
configured to determine a driving mode according to the SOC of the
high-voltage battery.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there
is provided a system for controlling charging of a vehicle, the
apparatus including a high-voltage battery that is a main power
source of the vehicle, an auxiliary battery that is an auxiliary
power source of the vehicle, an auxiliary battery SOC detecting
unit configured to detect a state of charge (SOC) of the auxiliary
battery, and a vehicle charging control unit configured to, when
receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling
heating, perform a control such that the auxiliary battery is
charged by using the high-voltage battery.
The auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit may include an intelligent
battery sensor (IBS).
The vehicle charging control unit may perform control to charge the
auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery if the SOC of
the high-voltage battery is not less than a predetermined reference
value when a request for an operation of the engine for controlling
heating is received.
The vehicle charging control unit may be a hybrid control unit
(HCU).
The vehicle charging control unit may include a high-voltage
battery SOC determining unit configured to determine an SOC of a
high-voltage battery that is a main power source, an auxiliary
battery SOC determining unit configured to determine an SOC of an
auxiliary battery that assists power of the high-voltage battery,
and an auxiliary battery charging control unit configured to, when
receiving a request for an operation of an engine for controlling
heating, perform a control such that the auxiliary battery is
charged by using the high-voltage battery.
In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there
is provided a method for controlling charging of a vehicle, the
method including determining a state of charge (SOC) of a
high-voltage battery that is a main power source, determining an
SOC of an auxiliary battery that assists power of the high-voltage
battery, and when receiving a request for an operation of an engine
for controlling heating, performing a control such that the
auxiliary battery is charged by using the high-voltage battery.
The determining of the SOC of the high-voltage battery may include
determining the SOC of the high-voltage battery through interaction
with a battery management unit.
The determining of the SOC of the auxiliary battery may include
determining the SOC of the auxiliary battery through interaction
with the auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit that senses the SOC
of the auxiliary battery.
The method may further include if the SOC of the auxiliary battery
is less than a predetermined reference value, performing a control
to charging the auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage
battery.
The method may further include performing a control to charge the
auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery in one or more
of a case in which the SOC of the auxiliary battery is a
predetermined reference value or more, a case in which the gear of
the vehicle is located in the P-stage, the R-stage, or the N-stage,
a case of high-speed driving, a case of high hill-climbing driving,
and a case in which a high-voltage part is operated.
The performing of the control may include performing a control such
that, if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is not less than a
predetermined reference value when a request for an operation of
the engine for controlling heating is received, the auxiliary
battery is charged by using the SOC of the high-voltage
battery.
The method may further include if the SOC of the high-voltage
battery is less than a predetermined reference value and the SOC of
the auxiliary battery is not less than the predetermined reference
value when a request for an operation of the engine for controlling
heating is received, performing discharge control of the
auxiliary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a technology of controlling charging
of a vehicle during general heating control;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system for controlling charging of a
vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a hybrid control unit of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a technology of controlling
charging of a vehicle during heating control according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a method for controlling charging of
a vehicle during heat control according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure; and
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a computer system to which a method for
controlling charging of a vehicle during heating control according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Throughout the specification, it is noted that the same or like
reference numerals denote the same or like components even though
they are provided in different drawings. Further, in the following
description of the present disclosure, a detailed description of
known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be
omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present
disclosure rather unclear.
In addition, tams, such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or the
like may be used herein when describing components of the present
disclosure. The terms are provided only to distinguish the elements
from other elements, and the essences, sequences, orders, and
numbers of the elements are not limited by the terms. In addition,
unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including
technical or scientific tams, have the same meanings as those
generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the
present disclosure pertains. The terms defined in the generally
used dictionaries should be construed as having the meanings that
coincide with the meanings of the contexts of the related
technologies, and should not be construed as ideal or excessively
formal meanings unless clearly defined in the specification of the
present disclosure.
An aspect of the present invention provides a method for
controlling battery charging in a hybrid vehicle during an
operation to heat the vehicle's cabin. A combustion engine of the
hybrid vehicle and its cooling water provides heat for warming the
vehicle's cabin.
Referring to FIG. 5, after starting of the vehicle (starting of the
engine, t.sub.1), high-voltage battery 111 is charged to a first
determined level (SOC.sub.1) under control of at least one
controller 100, 114, 115 of the vehicle. In embodiments, the at
least one controller activates wheel-driving motor 116 while
charging the high voltage battery (t.sub.2).
After SOC of the high-voltage battery reaches the first
predetermined level (at time C), then at least one controller stops
the motor while SOC of the high-voltage battery is maintained at
the first predetermined level.
In embodiments, after temperature of cooling water reaches a first
predetermined temperature (T.sub.high) while SOC of the
high-voltage battery is maintained at the first predetermined
level, the at least one controller stops the engine 117 (t.sub.3).
In embodiments, when the engine operates alone to warm the cooling
water (idle operation), the auxiliary battery is charged while
maintaining SOC of the high-voltage battery at the first
predetermined level (t.sub.3-t.sub.4).
Subsequently, when temperature of the cooling water falls to a
second predetermined temperature (T.sub.low), the controller
activates the engine again to heat the cooling water (at t.sub.6
and t.sub.10). In embodiments, the controller activates the
generator/motor 116 (at t.sub.5 and t.sub.9) prior to re-activation
of the engine (at t.sub.6 and t.sub.10) and stops the engine (at
t.sub.7) prior to stopping of the generator/motor 116 (at t.sub.8)
such that the engine operates only when the motor operates and does
not operate alone (idle operation) for heating the cooling water.
In embodiments, even when the engine was re-activated at t.sub.6,
the high-voltage battery is discharged to a second predetermined
level (SOC.sub.2).
The vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure is
an environment-friendly vehicle that travels while an electric
motor is driven by a high-voltage battery and an auxiliary battery,
and may include a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric
vehicle (EV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), and a fuel cell
electric vehicle (FCEV).
The system for controlling charging of a vehicle of an
environment-friendly vehicle according to the present disclosure
may prevent overcharging of a high-voltage battery by charging an
auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery regardless of a
state of charge (SOC) level of the auxiliary battery if an SOC of
the high-voltage battery increases by a specific level or more
during control of an engine for heating, and may improve fuel
efficiency by using the charged auxiliary battery as energy of a
load of an electric part.
Further, the system for controlling charging of an
environment-friendly vehicle according to embodiments of the
present disclosure may charge the auxiliary battery regardless of
the SOC of the high-voltage battery by detecting the SOC of the
auxiliary battery through a sensor configured to detect the SOC of
the auxiliary battery.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a system for controlling charging of an
environment-friendly vehicle according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a hybrid control
unit of FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, the system for controlling charging of an
environment-friendly vehicle according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure includes a hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 that is
a high level controller, a high-voltage battery 111, a main relay
112, a battery management system (BMS) 113, a motor control unit
(MCU) 114 that is a low level controller, an engine control unit
(ECU) 115, a motor 116, an engine 117, a low DC/DC converter (LDC)
118, an auxiliary battery 119, an auxiliary battery SOC detecting
unit 120, a cooling/heating unit 121, a full automatic temperature
control (FATC) 122.
The high-voltage battery 111 is a device for storing electrical
energy and supplying electricity to a vehicle system, and the
auxiliary battery 119 is charged by using the high-voltage battery
111. Then, when the gear is located in a P-stage (stop stage), an
R-stage (rearward stage), or an N-stage, the auxiliary battery 119
may be charged by using the high-voltage battery during a
high-speed or high-load driving (when the portion of the charging
energy is very low as compared with the whole driving energy).
The main relay 112 delivers the electrical energy of the
high-voltage battery 111 to a motor controller 114.
The motor controller 114 drives the motor 116 by using electric
power of the high-voltage battery received through the main relay
112 or electric power received through the low DC/DC converter
118.
The driving motor 116 is a main power source 111 for supplying
electric power, and is connected to a high-voltage battery 111.
The engine 117 is an internal combustion engine that supplies power
to the environment-friendly vehicle.
The cooling/heating unit 121 includes a heater or an air
conditioner.
The full automatic temperature control (FATC) 122 requests an
operation of the engine from the hybrid control unit 100 to adjust
the cooling/heating unit 121 and control heating.
The battery management system (BMS) 113 manages an overall state of
the high-voltage battery 111 that is a main power source,
calculates the SOC of the high-voltage battery 111 based on
temperature, voltage, and current, and delivers the result to the
hybrid control unit 100.
The low DC/DC converter (LDC) 118 rectifies electric power of the
high-voltage battery 111 of a high voltage to produce a direct
current, and outputs the direct current. That is, the low DC/DC
converter (LDC) 118 switches a general direct current to produce an
alternating current, steps down voltage of the alternating current
by using a coil, a transformer, and a capacitance, rectifies the
alternating current to a direct current, and supplies electricity
according to voltages used in the electric loads.
The auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit 120 senses the SOC of the
auxiliary battery 119 and provides the sensed SOC to the low DC/DC
converter (LDC) 118. To achieve this, the auxiliary battery SOC
detecting unit 120 may include an intelligent battery sensor
(IBS).
The hybrid controller (HCU) 100 is a high level controller that
collectively controls an overall operation of the
environment-friendly vehicle, and corresponds to the apparatus for
controlling charging of the vehicle in the present disclosure.
The hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 communicates with the motor
control unit (MCU) 114 that is a low level controller in a specific
scheme to control a torque, a speed, and a power generation torque
of the motor 116 that is a driving source, and communicates with
the engine control unit (ECU) 115 that controls the engine 117
configured to generate power for generation of voltage as an
auxiliary power source.
Further, the hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 communicates with the
battery management unit (BMS) 113 that manages an overall state of
the high-voltage battery 111 that is a main power source to
determine a driving mode according to the SOC of the high-voltage
battery and controls a torque and a speed of the motor, and
communicates with a transmission control unit (TCU) that determines
and controls transmission ratio according to a vehicle speed and a
request for driving by the driver to perform a control such that
the vehicle speed required by the driver is maintained.
Then, the communication between the hybrid control unit (HCU) 100,
and the motor control unit (MCU) 114 and the engine control unit
(ECU) 117 that are low level controllers is performed through CAN
communication such that information is exchanged and control
signals are transmitted and received between them.
The hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 checks the SOC of the auxiliary
battery through the low DC/DC converter (LDC) 118, and checks the
SOC of the high-voltage battery through the battery management
system (BMS) 113. The hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 determines
whether the SOC of the auxiliary battery is lower than a
predetermined reference value (X), a high load of an electric part,
such as a headlamp, a wiper, or a heating wire of a seat is on, or
charging energy corresponding to high speed or high hill-climbing
driving is very low as compared with whole driving energy (S102),
and when a high load of an electric part, such as a headlamp, a
wiper, or a heating wire of a seat, is on, in the case of
high-speed or high hill-climbing driving, or when the gear is
located in a P-stage, an R-stage, or an N-stage, requests the low
DC/DC converter 118 to control charging of the auxiliary
battery.
Further, the hybrid control unit 100 checks the SOC of the
high-voltage battery if receiving a request for switching on the
engine for controlling heating from the full automatic temperature
control 122, and when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is higher
than a predetermined reference value (Y), requests control of
charging of the auxiliary battery using the high-voltage battery
from the low DC/DC converter 118.
Further, when receiving a request for an operation of the engine
for controlling heating, the hybrid control unit 100 may control
discharging of the auxiliary battery if the SOC of the high-voltage
battery is less than a predetermined reference value and the SOC of
the auxiliary battery is a predetermined reference value or
more.
In this way, the present disclosure may charge the high-voltage
battery with the auxiliary battery to maintain the SOC of the
high-voltage battery at a specific level even when the high-voltage
battery is charged during driving of the engine for heating,
thereby preventing overcharging of the high-voltage battery, and
may enhance fuel efficiency by using the charged battery during an
operation of a high load of an electric part, high-speed driving,
or high hill-climbing driving, or when the gear is in the P-stage,
the R-stage, or the N-stage.
However, when the SOC of the auxiliary battery detected by the
auxiliary battery SOC detecting unit 120 is lower than a
predetermined reference value, the auxiliary battery is charged by
using the high-voltage battery regardless of the SOC of the
high-voltage battery.
A detailed configuration of the hybrid control unit 100 that is the
apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle will be described
with reference to FIG. 3.
The hybrid control unit 100 includes a high-voltage battery SOC
determining unit 101, an auxiliary battery SOC determining unit
102, a driving mode determining unit 103, and an auxiliary battery
charging control unit 104.
The high-voltage battery SOC determining unit 101 receives
information on the SOC of the high-voltage battery from the battery
management unit 113 to determine the SOC of the high-voltage
battery.
The auxiliary battery SOC determining unit 102 determines the SOC
of the auxiliary battery by using the information on the SOC of the
auxiliary battery received from the auxiliary battery SOC detecting
unit 120 to determine the SOC of the auxiliary battery.
The driving mode determining unit 103 determines the driving mode
according to the level of the SOC of the high-voltage battery.
Then, the driving mode may include an EV mode in which the vehicle
is driven only by electrical energy, and an HEV mode in which the
vehicle is driven both by electrical energy and through driving of
the engine. That is, if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is a
specific reference value or more, the vehicle is driven in the EV
mode, and if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is less than the
specific reference value, the vehicle is driven in the HEV
mode.
The auxiliary battery charging control unit 104 performs a control
such that the auxiliary battery is charged by using the
high-voltage battery if the SOC of the high-voltage battery is a
specific level or more, regardless of the level of the SOC of the
auxiliary battery, when receiving a request for an operation of the
engine for controlling heating.
Further, the auxiliary battery charging control unit 104 performs a
control to charge the auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage
battery in one or more of the case in which the SOC of the
auxiliary battery is a predetermined reference value or more, the
case in which the gear of the vehicle is located in the P-stage,
the R-stage, or the N-stage, the case of high-speed driving, the
case of high hill-climbing driving, and the case in which a
high-voltage part is operated.
In this way, the present disclosure may prevent overcharging of the
high-voltage battery by charging the high-voltage battery with the
auxiliary battery to maintain the level of the SOC of the
high-voltage battery at a suitable level in a state in which the
torque of the engine is raised during driving of the engine for
heating.
Then, the apparatus for controlling charging of the vehicle
according to embodiments of the present disclosure charges the
auxiliary battery 119 by using the high-voltage battery when the
gear is located in a P-stage (stop stage), an R-stage (rearward
stage), or an N-stage, the auxiliary battery 119 may be charged by
using the high-voltage battery during a high-speed or high-load
driving (when the portion of the charging energy is very low as
compared with the whole driving energy), and the present disclosure
charges the auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery
when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is low after determining the
SOC of the auxiliary battery through the auxiliary battery SOC
detecting unit 120. Then, the level of the SOC of the high-voltage
battery is not considered (control of a variable voltage of the
auxiliary battery).
Further, the apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle
according to embodiments of the present disclosure may monitor the
level of the SOC of the high-voltage battery in the case of an
engine driving condition for heating, and may charge the auxiliary
battery by using energy of the high-voltage battery if the level of
the SOC of the high-voltage battery is increased to a predetermined
reference level or more. Through the control, because the level of
the SOC of the high-voltage battery may be maintained at a suitable
level and the energy of the charged auxiliary battery may be used
to control the load of an electric part, fuel efficiency may be
improved when the vehicle travels on an actual road.
A method for controlling charging of a vehicle during heating
control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will
be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. Then, the
apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle refers to the
hybrid control unit (HCU) 100 of FIG. 1.
First, the apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle checks
the SOC of the auxiliary battery (S101), and when the SOC of the
auxiliary battery is smaller than a predetermined reference value
(X), requests control of charging of the auxiliary battery from the
low DC/DC converter 118 (S106). Accordingly, the low DC/DC
converter 118 charges the auxiliary battery by using the
high-voltage battery.
Meanwhile, when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is larger than or
equal to the predetermined reference value (X), the apparatus for
controlling charging of a vehicle determines whether the portion of
the charged energy is very low as compared with the whole driving
energy, such as in the case of a high load of an electric part,
such as a headlamp, a wiper, or a heating wire of a seat, or
high-speed or high hill-climbing driving (S102), and requests
control of charging of the auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC
converter 118 when the portion of the charged energy is very low
(S106). Accordingly, the low DC/DC converter 118 charges the
auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery.
Meanwhile, when the portion of the charged energy is very low as
compared with the whole driving energy, such as in the case of a
high load of an electric part, such as a headlamp, a wiper, or a
heating wire of a seat, or high-speed or high hill-climbing
driving, the apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle checks
whether the gear is located in the P-stage, the R-stage, or the
N-stage (S103).
When the gear is located in the P-stage, the R-stage, or the
N-stage, the apparatus for controlling charging of the vehicle
requests control of charging of the auxiliary battery from the low
DC/DC converter 118 (S106). Meanwhile, if the gear is located in
none of the P-stage, the R-stage, or the N-stage, the system for
controlling charging of a vehicle checks whether there is a request
for switching-on of the engine for controlling heating from the
full automatic temperature control (FATC) 121 (S104), and checks
the SOC of the auxiliary battery if there is no request for
switching on of the engine (S107). Accordingly, the system for
controlling charging of a vehicle requests control of discharging
of the auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC converter 118 if the
SOC of the auxiliary battery is larger than the predetermined
reference value (X) (S108), and requests control of charging of the
auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC converter 118 if the SOC of
the auxiliary battery is not larger than the predetermined
reference value (X) (S106).
Meanwhile, when a request for switching-on of the engine is made in
operation 5104, the system for controlling charging of a vehicle
checks the SOC of the high-voltage battery to determine whether the
SOC of the high-voltage battery is larger than a predetermined
reference value (Y) (S105), and requests control of charging of the
auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC converter 118 when the SOC of
the high-voltage battery is larger than the predetermined reference
value (Y) (S106). Accordingly, the low DC/DC converter 118 charges
the auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage battery.
On the other hand, when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is
smaller than or equal to the predetermined reference value (Y), the
system for controlling charging of a vehicle checks whether the SOC
of the auxiliary battery is larger than the predetermined reference
value (X) again (S107), and request control of discharging of the
auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC converter 118 when the
SOC of the auxiliary battery is larger than the predetermined
reference value (X) (S108) and requests control of charging of the
auxiliary battery from the low DC/DC converter 118 if the SOC of
the auxiliary battery is not larger than the predetermined
reference value (X) (S106).
Then, the reference value (X) for determining the SOC of the
auxiliary battery be set to a charging control start time point of
the auxiliary battery by utilizing energy of the high-voltage
battery in a normal condition in consideration of an authentication
mode and an actual road, and may be set through differentiation for
speeds of the vehicle. For example, because the portion of the
energy used to charge the auxiliary battery as compared with the
driving energy of the vehicle is relatively low to hardly influence
the actual fuel efficiency on the road during high-speed driving of
the vehicle, the reference value (X) is raised. Meanwhile, because
the charging energy of the auxiliary battery influences the actual
fuel efficiency of the road during low-speed driving, the reference
value (X) is lowered. For example, the reference value (X) may be
set to 80% when the speed of the vehicle is not more than 60 KPH,
may be set to 85% when the speed of the vehicle is 60 to 100 KPH,
and may be set to 90% when the speed of the vehicle is not less
than 100 KPH.
The reference value (Y) for determining the SOC of the high-voltage
battery is an SOC threshold point of the high-voltage battery at
which the charging of the auxiliary battery is started in a heating
driving condition, and may be set in consideration of an average
SOC (determined for respective authentication modes) determined in
a normal driving condition. For example, the reference value (Y)
may be set to 60% of the average SOC in the FTP mode (city mode),
and may be set to 60+.alpha.% (.alpha.: determined through an
actual road test) during a heating driving condition.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a technology of controlling charging
of a vehicle during general heating control. FIG. 5 is a flowchart
illustrating a technology of controlling charging of a vehicle
during heating control according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
In a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 5, conventionally, if the apparatus
for controlling charging of a vehicle receives a request for
driving of an engine from the full automatic temperature control
122 to secure a heat source for heating, it drives the engine
regardless of a driving condition to secure the heat source for
heating. That is, because the engine is made to be driven
unconditionally to secure a heat source for heating even when the
SOC of the high-voltage battery is sufficient, referring to FIG. 1,
the engine is driven if the temperature of cooling water decreases,
the driving of the engine is stopped if the charging of the
high-voltage battery is started such that the SOC of the
high-voltage battery increases to a specific level or more (A) so
that the vehicle continues to be driven in the EV mode using
electrical energy, and the engine is driven again if the
temperature of the cooling water decreases again (B). In this way,
conventionally, the driving and releasing of the engine for heating
are frequently repeated so that the efficiency of the engine may be
lowered.
In contrast, referring to FIG. 5, if receiving a request for
driving of the engine from the full automatic temperature control
122 to secure a heat source for heating, the apparatus for
controlling charging of a vehicle monitors the SOC of the
high-voltage battery, and if the SOC of the high-voltage battery
increase by a specific level or more (C), the auxiliary battery is
charged by using the high-voltage battery (1). Accordingly, the SOC
of the high-voltage battery is maintained at a specific level
during the operation of the engine (2), and the SOC of the
auxiliary battery increases. Thereafter, when a headlamp, a wiper,
or a heating wire of a seat is on, when the gear is located in a
P-stage, an R-stage, or an N-stage, or in the case of high-speed or
high hill-climbing driving, the SOC of the auxiliary battery
decreases (3) if the charged auxiliary battery is used (D) during
high hill-climbing driving of the vehicle. Thereafter, idling of
the heating engine may be prevented through maintenance of the
suitable SOC level.
In this way, secondary and tertiary engine idling may be prevented
by preventing excessive charging of the high-voltage battery and an
increase in the actual fuel efficiency on the road may be pursued
by controlling the load of an electric part by using the charged
auxiliary battery.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a computer system to which a method for
controlling charging of a vehicle during heating control according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.
Referring to FIG. 6, the computing system 11000 may include at
least one processor 11100 connected through a bus 11200, a memory
11300, a user interface input device 11400, a user interface output
device 11500, a storage 11600, and a network interface 11700.
The processor 11100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a
semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the
memory 11300 and/or the storage 11600. The memory 11300 and the
storage 11600 may include various volatile or nonvolatile storage
media. For example, the memory 11300 may include a read only memory
(ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).
Accordingly, the steps of the method or algorithm described in
relation to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be
implemented directly by hardware executed by the processor 11100, a
software module, or a combination thereof. The software module may
reside in a storage medium (that is, the memory 11300 and/or the
storage 11600), such as a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory,
an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a
detachable disk, or a CD-ROM.
The storage medium is coupled to the processor 11100, and the
processor 11100 may read information from the storage medium and
may write information in the storage medium. In another method, the
storage medium may be integrated with the processor 11100. The
processor and the storage medium may reside in an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user
terminal. In another method, the processor and the storage medium
may reside in the user terminal as an individual component.
The present technology may prevent overcharging of a high-voltage
battery by charging an auxiliary battery by using the high-voltage
battery regardless of a state of charge (SOC) level of the
auxiliary battery if an SOC of the high-voltage battery increases
by a specific level or more during control of an engine for
heating, and may improve fuel efficiency by using the charged
auxiliary battery as energy of a load of an electric part.
Logical blocks, modules or units described in connection with
embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by a
computing device having at least one processor, at least one memory
and at least one communication interface. The elements of a method,
process, or algorithm described in connection with embodiments
disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a
software module executed by at least one processor, or in a
combination of the two. Computer-executable instructions for
implementing a method, process, or algorithm described in
connection with embodiments disclosed herein can be stored in a
non-transitory computer readable storage medium.
The above description is a simple exemplification of the technical
spirit of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure may be
variously corrected and modified by those skilled in the art to
which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the
essential features of the present disclosure.
Therefore, the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure do
not limit the technical spirit of the present disclosure but are
illustrative, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present
disclosure is not limited by the embodiments of the present
disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure can be construed by
the claims, and it will be understood that all the technical
spirits within the equivalent range fall within the scope of the
present disclosure.
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